Let The Sprint For The Title Begin

A decade has passed since the untimely death of David Rocastle. Everyone has their own memories of him as a player and a man, some excellent ones are online. A player from a different era who had enough talent to have thrived in this one. Like Anders Limpar, you feel that a great player would have gone onto a higher level.

Perhaps the best tribute to him is on She Wore A Yellow Ribbon where there are details of an online auction or simply a charitable donation. Please support it if you can.

The Premier League restarts this weekend, relegation and title issues will be swayed bv the outcomes. The race for top spot is between three teams. Chelsea are being dismissed in some quarters but their run-in is the ‘easiest’ of the top three, a fixture list which ought to see them win a high proportion. The way that this season has gone, it means that they cannot be ruled out.

Arsenal and United both have fixtures where I would expect them to drop points, this Saturday may not be as straightforward a trip to Upton Park as the Mancunians have had in the past. Equally, Arsenal will probably be happy with a point at White Hart Lane.

Other fixtures that have potential banana skins for both sides are trips to Newcastle / Blackburn for the leaders, their inability to win a bigger number of away games a key reason for the tightness of this season’s title race whilst Arsenal travel to Bolton and Stoke, nemesis from previous campaigns but stadia which have been happy hunting grounds in recent times.

The key period is going to be the visit of Manchester United to Arsenal followed by their home encounter with Chelsea. It is not hard to see them taking one point from the two games. If they take more, it will be a tight finish.

Much will depend on the outcome of the Champions League tie between United and Chelsea. To be honest, I would quite happily see United win, it means that they would play twice a week for most of the rest of the season, particularly around a time when key domestic fixtures are scheduled.

The spread of points in the Premier League is also crucial. As it stands, 8 points separate 7th and 18th places. Realistically, that is too big a gap for Bolton and 8th placed Everton to be relegated but enough  to ensure that their seasons are not yet comfortable.

10th place downwards – Stoke are five points off the relegation places – looks at this moment to be the place where very nervous glances are cast at results. It means that all of the sides need a result at the moment. Some will rest easier over the coming weeks than others.

Fatigue and injury will be key. United’s squad does not have the depth that has been seen in the past; Arsenal are getting key players back to fitness at the right time.

That may not be as much of an issue as defensive concentration although the flak that has been flying around since The Hawthorns debacle should ensure focus and concentration is paramount. Almunia does tend to learn quickly, rarely making mistakes in consecutive games. That does not preclude a repetition in the future though.

Much is made of mental toughness, how United and Chelsea are stronger for the experience of having won titles and why this will not be Arsenal’s season. Equally as important is the knowledge of what losing feels like, motivating the players not to repeat the emptiness or sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

A challenging two months remains of the season. Hard work and a little luck might be enough to see the title return to Arsenal. My own view is that this will happen with between 1 and 3 points the gap to second place.

’til Tomorrow.

International Break Completed With The Usual Injury Scare

Club football returns to the fore with the international break over. A Hungarian defender attempted to take this quite literally on Robin van Persie last night, a ghoul-ash challenge necessitating his replacement. According to Bert van Maarwijk, van Persie “should” be fit for Arsenal this weekend.

Using the word “should” gives the Dutch a get-out clause. The injury apparently was painful but not bad but like their Swiss counterparts, the KNVB medical staff have jumped the gun with the striker’s fitness before. Arsenal did not even mention the injury in their international round-up last night so no news is good news. Until it’s bad news.

With internationals it is always a dangerous path for player, club and country. If they come back injured, it is the cue for howls from managers. If they come back fit, the clubs complain that too much football is being played, conveniently leaving out “that does not generate any money for us“. Neither side helps themselves, Fifa needs to sit down with the confederations and work out a sensible calendar for matches, perhaps limited friendlies until the summer.

And then the FAs around the world do not help matters by arranging mini-tours at the end of a long season. Step forward the FFF (it’s too obvious) who are now tacking on two meaningless friendlies after their Euro2012 qualifier in June. Laurent Blanc wants them for a team building exercise which is a bit of a hoot as the only time that Les Bleus are united is when they hate their manager.

Proving himself a master of comic timing, Blanc believed that as Arsenal has a French manager, they will be understanding. He looked bemused as Jacquet, Lemerre, Santini and Domenech collapsed in a heap, laughing hysterically.

Elsewhere, Jack Wilshere played 70 minutes to universal applause, as did Tomas Rosicky. The England match was entertaining (for once) and Ghana gave a good account of themselves in the friendly. It was a chance to see some of the deep reservoir of English talent that exists and how well they are doing on the international stage.

Samir Nasri and Bacary Sagna both played many minutes football over the past few days but they seem to be OK whilst Andrey Arshavin played lots and took the brickbats from former internationals. Good to see that low standards of punditry span the globe with ex-internationals always willing to put the boot into the current crop.

Back at Arsenal, Jens Lehmann did Manuel Almunia a favour by reportedly showing his lack of match fitness in the reserves defeat at Wigan. Perhaps now we can have a stop to the ludicrous sniping from the media that Arsenal are in such bad shape we need to have a 41 year-old goalkeeper. Hopefully Lehmann will remain an ex- Arsenal goalkeeper.

Talking of which, Bob Wilson is, as I am sure you are all aware, cycling around the UK next month, the full details of which can be found here, whilst you can donate here.

’til Tomorrow.

Fingers Crossed & Arsène To Get A New Goalkeeping Manuel

Good grief is this international break still going on? Normally following the weekend matches, the following week speeds by and before you know it, Arsenal is back on the agenda.

This time though, everything is dragging with meaningless international friendlies. Let us hope that Ghana put on a better display than the tepid showing from Cameroon on the back of Italia ’90. When they came to Wembley in November of that year, it was a frankly dire match that a mediocre England side won 2-0.

The final round of matches mean one more bout of nailbiting hoping that key players do not limp back into London Colney for a few weeks on the treatment table. At this moment, fatigue is going to be the biggest issue with Andrey Arshavin having his usual trek back to Arsenal, albeit this time from Doha. Still, he has plenty of opportunities to rest during matches so perhaps no-one will notice…

Another unwelcome side effect is more rubbish being spouted by domestic and international news outlets about departures and arrivals. Indeed with the speed with which these stories are appearing, a new terminal at Heathrow will be required by the summer.

Gael Clichy is fast outdoing the Cesc’s DNA has arrived in Barcelona, his body is on the next flight, with Juventus really properly quite keen on the Frenchman. Apparently being dropped by Les Bleus is going to fire him out of the Arsenal door and into the Turin branch of Boots The Chemist as a Saturday boy. Nice black and white striped outfit will be provided.

Some food for thought for the Arsenal captain came from Fernando Torres, asking who Cesc would replace. The media interpreted this as Torres telling Cesc he would be a ‘Barcelona Misfit‘; at this moment in time, Torres is an expert on the subject so perhaps his words should be heeded.

More pertinently, Cesc would do well to look at the extremely patchy record of former Arsenal players in the Camp Nou and ponder whether or not the same fate may befall him? Anyway, the chances of any of the £45m (maximum) that Arsène will raise being spent on Felipe Melo are nil as he does not want to live in North London. Not that anyone of any import has asked him but that was his media line and he is sticking with it.

The Arrivals Lounge will be a good old-fashioned bunfight between goalkeepers. Maarten Stekelenburg has told the world that if Arsenal want him, he’s on his way to The Emirates whilst the media has us linked to the German Manuel Neuer. My guess is that it will all kick off when one finds out that the other had a first class ticket, a small clue as to whom might be considered the Prodigal Son.

Talking of which, it might be that this is the role to be fulfilled by Jeremie Aliadiere who is back keeping fit at Colney. Who knows, maybe he will join as cover for the strikers? No? Stranger things have happened such as Sol Campbell and Jens Lehmann have rejoined…

’til Tomorrow.

Selling Clubs, International Snubs – Club Football Is Nearly Back

We must position ourselves as a selling club. We must change our mentality

Had those words been spoken by Peter Hill-Wood, Ivan Gazidis, Arsène Wenger or any director / senior manager of Arsenal Football Club, the howls of derision would have been heard for years to come. ‘Selling club‘ is the derisory term of choice when a presumed-to-be promising youngster is sold whilst the pet hate – insert your choice of Denilson, Almunia or Diaby – remains at the club.

Yet the words came from Sandro Rosell. Barcelona need to change their mentality to see themselves as a “selling club“, an acknowledgment of the loss of promising youngsters cheaply at the same time their finances are nowhere near as strong as those of a club that big ought to be.  Indeed he admitted that it would take up to four years to improve them.

With that in mind, the PR started over this summer’s coming blockbuster, Cesc 2 – The Empire Strikes Back. Barcelona won’t pay more than £35m because as he gets closer to the end of his contract, the cheaper he becomes and, they cannot afford it.

Rosell also admitted that Barcelona’s relationship with Arsenal is not good. It seems that Jon Harper Toral leaving has upset the Catalans, a realisation that ‘Mes Que Un Club‘ means little or nothing to anyone outside of the Camp Nou. Loyalty is not what it used to be, eh Sandro?

But fear not, a solution is at hand as Afellay is surplus to requirements in a timescale that makes Clive Allen eligible for a long service award and is going to be a makeweight in the Cesc deal. Except he is not because Arsène does not want that to happen. That pesky Wenger is always foiling the deal.

A million transfer dreams were relaunched this weekend as the future of the Arsenal midfield clashed in Cardiff, several previously linked players have hinted that they might be interested in a move to the Premier League.

Per Mertesacker has apparently not been enjoying himself at Werder Bremen this season so last Summer’s pledges of loyalty to his employers are seeming a tad rash whilst a hollowness emerges with his view that he might enjoy playing in the Premier League. Legendary transfer tale, Eden Hazard, may not even be leaving Ligue 1 if Lyon get their way, a mighty and tempting offer to be lobbed in the Belgian’s direction to once more foil the player’s non-transfer to Arsenal.

After yesterday, no doubt we can add Neymar to this list as well.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Fabio Capello could have done Wilshere a favour by sending him home. It appears that the exit to Barcelona in the Champions League was more costly as this competition – and injury – are the only reasons for releasing players for tomorrow’s pointless friendly against Ghana.

Apparently it is going to be a cursory relief. The Italian is reportedly going to change the whole of the starting line-up which begs the question as to why he will not be releasing the whole of the squad. He could learn more about the strength in depth – or lack of it – that English football possesses by having no international experience on show.

But he didn’t so it is what it is. The growing concern is that the Football Association is now planning for a confrontation with Arsenal over the Under-21s tournament in Denmark. Pearce is going to be backed whatever he chooses, Capello has sidestepped the issue by claiming no responsibility for the junior side. Yet he should be asking what benefit does Wilshere get by playing at a lower level?

The experience of internationals? He is getting that with the senior team to the extent that he is the midfield fixture with Gerrard and Lampard fighting to get a spot alongside him. Tournament experience? He plays twice a week for his club so knows all about games coming quickly in succession. And as for it being at international level, well let’s not kid ourselves, Uefa might like to think it but the European Under-21 Championship is nowhere near as important or high profile as the senior tournaments.

Wilshere might be young and have the energy to play these fixtures but if he does, it sets Arsenal’s pre-season back. He will rejoin training a fortnight or more later than the rest of the squad. Which means he might miss the opening fixtures. Sorry but that and potential injury, outweighs any junior and insignificant international tournament.

’til Tomorrow.

Jack Be Nimble And Jens Blames The Defence

The Battle of the Arsenal midfield was won once more by Jack Wilshere as Aaron Ramsey and his Welsh counterparts were overrun, out-passed and generally outplayed by England yesterday.

Fabio Capello summed up Wilshere’s performance,

It’s a normal performance for him but it is incredible how much he has improved in such a short space of time.

The performance of this player during this season has been incredible. He plays like a player who is 28 or 29 years old with 45 caps. I hope there is more to come. A good player is always improving.

Capello has seen enough footballers in his time to have his opinion respected as a matter of course. Personally I would respect him even more if he recognised that Wilshere is in the early stages of his career and could do with a rest. Returning the youngster to his club instead of using him in a meaningless friendly on Tuesday would be a step in the right direction.

The National Associations are so blinkered that they do not wish to recognise their role and responsibilities towards the players. The FA were well aware that they would meet Wales on a Saturday yet have still scheduled their next match on Tuesday.

The objective Fifa had in mind when they set the limits on international weeks was to help the players. For once, their intentions laudable. The FA has chosen to abuse that with this current schedule; their manager is abusing the players by using the same squad for both matches. What can he possibly learn about them in 48 hours time that he did not already know? Why has Capello not chosen an entirely separate squad?

Much is expected of Wilshere, great expectations building for his career, praised by all opponents this season for the maturity of his play. It is something that he needs to replicate off the pitch as well. If Wilshere wants to know what awaits him in his career, he need only look at John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole.

They have, at some point, all been Media Darlings, be it for being the living embodiment of John Bull, the Greatest English Football Talent or married to the Media’s Queen. They have all suffered – deservedly – as the dogs bit back.

According to Sunday Mirror reporter Steve Stammers, Arsène ‘has read the riot act to Jack Wilshere’ following an incident with a taxi driver. Wenger’s Arsenal over the years, have kept themselves out of the newspapers. It was a far cry from the Arsenal squad of the early 1980s where the drinking culture was such that anyone who had not lost their licence was viewed suspiciously.

Wilshere is the latest Greatest English Football Talent so is of more interest to the media. Being in London saves the expenses in following him. A lot of untruths are going to be written about him over the coming years, he needs to be prepared for that and prepared not to put himself in the position where he can be criticised. No-one expects him to be a monk but streetwise in a different way to that which he is possibly used to.

At the other end of the scale, Jens Lehmann has explained that it was the defence’s fault he was sent off in Paris. According to the German, he brought Eto’o down because he was not used to conceding goals in the Champions League that season.

Had Arsenal not been on a phenomenal run of not allowing opponents to score, Lehmann admitted he would have let the Cameroonean score rather than ankle-tapping him. Spoken like a true goalkeeper. No goal conceded is ever their fault, it was always someone else to blame. I wonder who Manuel is setting up about the second at The Hawthorns?

’til Tomorrow.

Arsène Looks To Heal Growing Pains

Whilst Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri were both away enjoying their international appearances, as Jack and Aaron face-off, Arsène was left to ponder some issues over the remainder of the season.

The first of which was his goalkeepers. To the dismay of many, Wenger chose not hang, draw and quarter Manuel Almunia. Instead, publicly at least, a mild chastisement was administered over the mistake which led to West Brom’s second goal.

That he has commented on the Spaniard being aware of his mistake being the ‘wrong decision‘ is sufficient to suggest that harsher words were spoken between the two.

No doubt the media would love the story if Jens Lehmann was reinstated into the starting XI. I am sure for the German it would be some kind of closure, particularly following the manner of his departure from the club last time around.

Would this vindicate Oliver Kahn’s comments earlier this week about a goalkeeping malaise in England? No, simply that there is general shortage of good goalkeepers around the world, who were out of contract at the time Szczesny injured himself in the Camp Nou.

Arsène though is absolutely right not to become involved in team selection issues in the media. If he did, he was backed into a corner, ready to be painted as a tinkerman or indecisive. He has enough detractors in the press as it is, enough trying to fuel the campaign to remove the Frenchman from his job.

Robbie Savage this week joined that club, perhaps the BBC could sack the Welshman next time he fails to string a coherent sentence together. The P45 might as well be sent now for that will happen tonight.

The international break has left him with time to work on the minds of those at home whilst hoping that those away benefit from the change in surroundings. It might well be the truth; it will need to be if his assertion of a stronger second half of the season is to come true.

Wenger believes that this is a recurring theme of his tenure,

Every year we have a stronger second half of the season. I think in the last five or six years we have always had a young team, and they grow up during the season. This year that’s happened again.

Wenger is referring to the mental strength of the players, their belief in themselves. The ‘young team‘ is constantly disparaged, the youth and perceived lack of ability are remorselessly hung as millstones around their necks.

There have chances to remove that burden, spurned or ripped from their grasp depending on the occasion. Even then a Premier League title is going to be the measure that finally sees that weight lifted. A Carling Cup would alieviate the burden a little, the FA Cup help but domestically at least, it is the title which will be the key to unlocking potential.

Interestingly, Wenger’s theory is not entirely borne out by points totals.

Since The Invincibles equalled their total points of the first 19 games of the season, the second 19 of subsequent seasons has been a hotch-potch. The point or so differences recorded between 2004-05 and 2006-07 have disappeared into a peak and trough cycle.

2007-08 saw a five point drop in the two halves, 2008-09 an eight point gain. Last time, seven less points were gained. The tangible is not supporting the intangible. Much depends of course, on the fixtures. The mix of derbies and top four encounters will influence the final totals. If history is anything to go by, this season Arsenal are looking at a total of between 75 and 80 points. Will it be enough?

Time will tell. One thing is certain though. This Arsenal squad has shown tremendous consistency in its results in the Premier League since December’s defeat at Old Trafford. That run needs to carry on, United are still there to be caught with the importance of the fixture at The Emirates between the two sides still the key to the title.

We shall see. The business end of the season is upon us, key players returning to fitness. This is the time to prove their manager’s faith was not misplaced.

’til Tomorrow.

Internationals & Internet: Responsible Use Required

As the international break passes its mid-point, the initial injury scare over Nicklas Bendtner appears to be just that as reports of his demise have been quickly usurped by reports of his return to fitness. As with Cesc, he looks likely to be available for the match against Blackburn in just over a week’s time.

Arsène will be hoping that both are ready, along with the other twelve at the club who have gone on their late season jaunts, to give the squad a extremely strong look going into that fixture. Whether Alex Song will be there remains to be seen. The only news on his fitness seems to be “He will not be available” from the manager’s pre-match interviews.

There is a danger of the Cameroonean disappearing into the injury black hole that has consumed Thomas Vermaelen, some sort of Brian Cox in the future will probably discover their fossilised remains and use it as a theory to explain some event in the stars. Still, at least he can be serened with an updated version of “Things Can Only Get Better“. Which if you are a fossilised remain is pretty much the truth.

As it is, the Football Association seems intent on adding Jack Wilshere to that list. Stuart Pearce has apparently decided that the youngster will travel with the Under 21 squad to Scandinavia this summer for the European Championship at that level. It seems that Pearce is not learning from the lessons of the past or quite simply does not care about the players. My guess is that it is the latter camp into which he falls.

At 18, Wilshere is appearing in the senior squad, as well as being a regular for his club. Youngsters are frequently believed to be capable of playing as many games as possible. It was that mentality that led to Theo Walcott being consistenly injured since Pearce intervened two years ago. Whilst Walcott had hereditary problems with his shoulders, there was little wrong with his back before playing for senior and junior international teams in the same month following a full season with his club.

That Pearce is seeking to use Wilshere this time around highlights two things. Firstly, how much Wilshere has progressed in twelve months and secondly, the paucity of English talent in that age group.

Wilshere has endeared himself to the Arsenal support with his performances but also because of his willingness to engage with supporters via Twitter. There are several players on there, unusually willing to ‘converse’. Wilshere observed that it is a good way to gauge feelings following matches.

Personally, I have not read comments post-match but it would be interesting to see if they are complimentary; they are not on blogs so it begs the question as to why those who vent online do not go the whole hog and tell the players what they think.

The question of social media is thorny. The Football Association want it regulated out of use, draconian measures employed to keep players in line. The clubs are wary lest players use it to disparage and not ‘toe the line’. Whereas it could, and should, be used as an important link between the players and supporters.

A lot of focus is on the players and their words. It would be nice if the same attention was paid to the words of supporters. Whilst there is only a small minority who berate and abuse, it is little surprise that those are the things which stick in players minds. Little wonder that the gap between those who play and those who pay shows no sign of closing.

It is an opportunity for a little of the mystique to be removed. A bit of responsibility will go a long way.

’til Tomorrow.